Paying Homage to Collard Greens
As much as I’ve written and talked about my beloved kales, I recently realized how much I’ve slighted the equally delicious and possibly even more talented collard greens.
Maybe collards can’t deliver the same pizzazz as those beautiful kales, but they are by no means a homely or undeserving plant. They also deserve more respect in the garden just because they are so nutritious and healthful. Collards are considered to be nutrient dense, which means that you’ll be rewarded with a big nutritional bang when consuming this tasty vegetable.
A Peek at Collard’s Out-Growing Personality
Collards are not only big in their nutritional profiles; they also provide a powerful presence out in the vegetable garden. Collards are like an extroverted form of cabbage that grows outward instead of holding itself in. Unlike its more reserved relative, collards won’t hesitate to open up and put on a proud display in the garden.
In my eyes the kales still have them beat for beauty, but collard greens are striking and attractive in their own right. It’s a combination of the color, leaf form, and texture that can make you stop and take note of this otherwise rather ordinary and common leafy green vegetable.
Flexing Some Green Muscle in the Garden
Before I cause offense by calling them ordinary, let me point out the spectacular sizes that collard plants can attain. If ever there was a leafy green vegetable accused of using steroids this would be the one. A single plant can grow over four feet in height and spread five feet in width all without the use of stakes or additional support to prop them up.
An individual collard leaf can easily grow to occupy over a square foot in area. But one secret for the backyard gardener is that you might be better off to not let them grow that large before harvesting for kitchen use. The smaller sized leaves are tenderer, just as tasty, and will cook up in a few brief minutes, or can even be enjoyed raw in salads.
Natural Seasoning for Tasty Leafy Greens
Another tip for the home gardener growing collards is take advantage of the flavor enhancement provided by cold weather. The quality and flavor of collard greens will be improved and sweetened as the plants are exposed to a few touches of fall frost.
To harvest collard plants I usually pick a few of the outer leaves from each plant and allow the center to continue growing and producing leaves for future harvesting. Like kale, collards easily survive the cold winters here in Pennsylvania and will rebound to yield additional leaves and edible seed stalks the following spring.
Collard Green Variety and Diversity
Popular collard varieties include Vates, Georgia, Champion, and Morris Heading. I haven’t noticed much difference in any of these varieties and each will provide you with a similar crop.
If you’re interested in a different or more ornamental strain of collards try to locate seed of either the Variegated or Green Glaze collard varieties. The Variegated collards produce unique leaves that take on a cream, white, pink, or tinge of red variegation as the temperatures become cooler. Green Glaze collards produce smooth, glossy leaves that are shiny and noticeably different from the other collard varieties.
Collards are very easy to grow and can be set out as transplants in the spring or direct seeded into the garden during the summer months. They are sometimes targeted by the cabbage moths and worms but seem to be more resistant to these pests than cabbage and kale.
So if you’ve been snoozing on this nutrient-rich leafy green vegetable; it’s time to consider planting some collards in your next garden!
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October 17th, 2007 at 10:05 am
[...] Kenny Point wrote a fantastic post today on “Paying Homage to Collard Greens”Here’s ONLY a quick extractThey also deserve more respect in the garden just because they are so nutritious and healthful. Collards are considered to be nutrient dense, which means that you’ll be rewarded with a big nutritional bang when consuming this tasty … [...]
October 18th, 2007 at 4:46 am
Great site – & interesting post. We will have to try collared greens!
October 18th, 2007 at 10:38 am
[...] came across this post – Paying Homage to Collard Greens – and thought it was worth sharing. I hope you find it interesting too and take the time to read [...]
October 21st, 2007 at 3:54 am
Please help me find a collard tree plant.
Thank U
October 22nd, 2007 at 9:40 pm
Hi Lafaye, I remember seeing a plant called “tree collards” listed in a seed catalog years ago but I don’t recall which catalog and I haven’t seen it advertised anywhere in recent years. There is a “walking stick cabbage” that is offered by a number of seed sources but I don’t think that it is the same plant as the tree collard.
October 25th, 2007 at 2:48 pm
Hi Kenny,
Great post, I don’t personally grow collard greens. Maybe these are a vegetable that I will try growing next year.
Thanks
October 30th, 2007 at 11:02 pm
Another reason to grow collards are their flowers. They are purely sweet, absolutely delicious, and they would be decorative with a tapenade or other dark background. The plants which have been plucked of their lower leaves look like palm trees in the cold.
Cabbages plucked of all their leaves will re-grow sweet little heads if you bury the cores far enough that most critters leave them alone. I have a container by the dryer vent where I put in cut-off onion roots as well.
I have had success eating all the celery and regrowing new celery from roots. It set flowers that went to seed. I am hoping to get baby celeries in the spring.
Collard greens are just delicious cooked with olive oil, onion, and mustard. I add a bit of balsamic vinegar after cooking as well. Many people also use hot sauce. Yum.
Mary Saunders
January 4th, 2008 at 9:43 am
I’ve just discovered your website kenny and I really like it so i’ll be adding you to my blog roll of green fingers.
I grow edibles in France and I would like to know what a collard is. I love leafy brassicas but i am not sure what a collard is, I’m guessing that’s an American name do you know the latin plant name?
January 11th, 2008 at 12:50 am
Wikipedia has a great listing on collards.
June 14th, 2008 at 4:37 pm
I love this vegetable just for the name!
August 11th, 2008 at 11:53 am
[...] always touted leafy greens such as kale and collards as the ultimate nutrient dense health food, but sea vegetables just may have them beat thanks to [...]
January 4th, 2009 at 7:10 pm
Where does one buy Green Glaze collard seeds? Seeds of Change has just informed me they no longer carry them.
January 4th, 2009 at 7:12 pm
Hi Harriet, you can try Southern Exposure Seed Exchange for the Green Glaze collard seeds.
May 14th, 2009 at 6:48 pm
[...] give my eye teeth for collards! No seeds here for that, and they probably never heard of it. Locally they grow apples, peaches, [...]
August 7th, 2009 at 7:29 pm
[...] is a great time to plant leafy green fall vegetables like kale, collards, spinach, lettuce, mustard, and arugula. These fast growers should have plenty of time to produce [...]